The Girl Who Talked
by CinnamxnDavies
Summary: She did her best. She tried to talk to him. She made him feel a little better. With that much, Hinata was sure she had done a great deed.
1. The Crying Boy

Three whisker-like marks on either of his cheeks, yellow hair, blue eyes and an orange shirt: the little boy crying on the swing.

Hinata decided one day that it was the day to speak up. She wanted him to know she existed. She was sue she could do it.

She began to say his name, but can only form the first syllable. Even that much came out strained with her eight-year-old's squeak. On her second attempt, she managed his name. It was meek, and small, but it was the best she could do.

"Naruto-kun…" he heard her say.

The eyes he looked at her with were cold. She wanted to run away. Instead, she cleared her throat, and fiddled with her fingers, pushing them against each other like when she played with one of those finger trap toys. If she focused on her fingers, he wouldn't realize how nervous she was. He wouldn't notice her at all. That would be easiest.

His cold blue eyes did not waver. "You're here to make fun of me for being a lousy ninja. Well there's no point…" he sniffled, holding tears back, and she saw his chin wrinkle with the effort to look stern. To not sob. "Everyone does it, so you aren't gonna be able to make it any worse."

"N-no…" Hinata tried to argue. "I would never do that! It's…" she felt foolish for even trying. But it was so hard watching him suffer each day. Sometimes she cried with him, but he didn't realize that. Her eyes lowered. "Sorry…"

She thought of her dad and thought of his warning. Don't talk to the Kyuubi. Never talk to the Kyuubi. "Do you know what the Kyuubi is, Naruto-kun?"

This question annoyed him, and he spat out a response. "Like hell I know!" That day she learned he was developing a potty mouth. She wonders where he heard such swears, and realizes he probably has heard them from adults he barely knows.

That made her heart sink, and she glanced at him. He was still on that swing, his small fingers clenched around the chains, his feet kicking it to keep it in sway. "I- I'm so sorry! I was m-making assumptions. It was terr- terribly rude... of me…"


	2. The Kind Girl

A deep red blush across each of her cheeks, black hair, white eyes and a white t-shirt: the little girl being kind to him.

At his swear, she looked at the ground, and mumbled a second apology. Naruto realized she was shaking. It probably took a lot of courage to approach somebody as hated as himself, and all he was doing was making her regret that decision. He was doing nothing but bullying her.

Naruto hated bullies. He did not want to be one.

"It's me who should be sorry…" he admitted, wriggling off of the swing's seat. He stood on equal ground with her, then, puffing his chest out. "I'm just bein' a jerk."

She shook her head, "No, it's alright. I know you're usually not mean, and so I- I forgive you…"

Somehow, the thought she'd forgive him so easily did not sit well with Naruto. It made him feel guilty, but also glad she lived a life free of abuse. It was too hard to think of her apologizing to a bully such as those kids who would push him to the ground. That is when he decides she is an absolute weird like him, but a lucky one.

"Your name is Hinata, right?"

"Y-yes!" Hearing him address her name so casually was an unusual and startling occurrence. She should not have expected anything more of him, though.

Meanwhile, all Natsu could think was: she really is weird… she can't even speak right… "You're a real weirdo."

Although his smile was friendly, Hinata seemed to misinterpret his tease. He watched her bite down sharply on her lip as her eyes widened. She felt so vulnerable, her young eyes could not contain the sadness, and it began spilling over her cheeks.

Her face was red, she was embarrassed. "I- I'm sorry! I just wanted…"

His face was white, he was guilty. "Don't be upset! I mean it in a cool way!"

She halted. Her cheeks were already puffy by then, and her frown grim. As he continued to explain himself, she sniffled. "It's not so bad bein' a weirdo. Actually it's really awesome! Only a weirdo would talk to me, and only a weirdo would be so nice even when I act like a jerk! Ya know?" She still wasn't answering. "I'm right, aren't I, Hinata?"

His voice made her shake from her reverie, and she gave a slow nod. "The- then is Naruto-kun also weird?"

The whiskered face screwed up. His agreement came slowly: "Yeah, I'm weird, too. But.. I'm a different kinda weird. Nobody likes me."

White eyes softened, and Naruto's heart skipped a beat as she spoke in that quiet, mousy voice. "I- I like you Naruto-kun. And I'm sure lots of others do as well… like- like…"

"Like Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked hopefully.

A long pause drew out between them. After several moments, Hinata gave a weak laugh. It sounded like the sort of laugh one would emit in the nostalgic moments of their mourning. "Yeah… I'm sure she likes you."

Naruto grinned, and gave Hinata a pat on the shoulders. "Thanks, Hinata!' he cried as the shock of being touched was added to the haze of rejection. "You made me feel a lot better. Hey, you're a girl right. What flowers do you think Sakura-chan would prefer?"


End file.
